Lourdes took a lead into halftime of its season opener on Saturday morning but Thomas More was able to rally in the second half and defeat the Gray Wolves 13-9 in Griffin Plaza in Crestview Hills, Ky.
 
"Our team has made tremendous improvements since last season, both offensively and defensively," head coach Sierra Wagoner said afterwards.  "Our draw game was spectacular all game winning almost 75% of them.  This gave the offense the opportunity to attack strong, especially in the first half."
 
After yielding the first two goals of the game, Lourdes evened the contest at two behind goals by Jordan Rawski (Toledo, Ohio/Southview H.S.) and Amelia McCourt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Bloomfield Hills H.S.) before the end of the opening quarter.
 
McCourt put the Gray Wolves on top before the Saints responded twice for a 4-3 lead.  Two more goals by McCourt and another tally by Rawski gave Lourdes a 6-4 lead before Thomas More scored the final goal of the half.
 
Thomas More (1-3) scored eight of the first nine goals of the second half with an Erin Manley (Ottawa Lake, Mich./Whiteford H.S.) goal interrupting the streak for the Gray Wolves, as the Saints built a 13-7 lead.  Lourdes did not stop battling though.  Kylie Turner (Ridgeway, Ohio/Ridgemont H.S.) found the back of the net twice in the final two minutes for the game's final margin.
 
Lourdes finished with a 24-22 shot advantage and a 22-19 ground ball edge.  McCourt had four ground balls while Rawski added three.  Emiliana Taylor (Granger, Ind./Saint Joseph H.S.) led the defense with three caused turnovers.  Maddie Wadesisi (Cleveland, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S.) made three saves in goal.
 
"The team looked very strong defensively all game," Wagoner added.  "With our senior leadership in the backfield, we kept consistency.  Attack put up points and a fight, but was a little more fatigued going into the second half.  Despite the unfortunate outcome, I look forward to more improvements going forward and am proud of this team."
 
Madi Carle scored four times to pace Thomas More offensively while Kennedy Yurt made 10 saves between the posts.
 
Lourdes (0-1) will have two weeks off before returning to the field on March 19 as the Gray Wolves open Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play hosting Cleary.  The opening draw is set for 5 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.